Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Foreign Domestic Workers in Canada

Alright everyone, I haven't posted anything in a while because it's EXAM TIME at York. So my life consists of studying and essay writing. Don't feel bad for me just yet, it is my LAST YEAR. *woo hoo*. So on to the good stuff, I spent all day working on an essay for a sociology of labour class and here is what I produced (the introduction). If anyone wants any sources or greater detail of the work, post a comment.

The premise of this essay was to show the shift in domestic workers from a prodominantly Caribbean populace to a currently prodominant Filipino one. I have not found much texts regarding this issue so I came up with my own possibilities. The possibilities stem from the root of female black slavery to the (supposed) highly educated Filipino community. Here is the introduction (again, any questions or comments, post in the comment section)

"According to Stasiulis and Bakan, in 1975 to 1976, 44 per cent of all entrants to Canada on temporary employment visas assigned to in-home domestic work were from the Caribbean and only .3 per cent was from Asia; by 1990, the statistic shifted with 5 per cent from the Caribbean, while 58 per cent were from the Philippines (2005). This was a dramatic shift in Canada’s seeking labour countries. Due to this dramatic change in per cent, I will seek out various possibilities within this essay. Throughout many decades, Canada’s policies and regulations regarding foreign domestic workers have evolved to be more discriminatory and more qualifications needed to be achieved. With experiences from English speaking Caribbean and Filipino women, the Canadian foreign labour policies prefer one cultural group over another to gain capital in the domestic market. The question to be asked within this situation is why has the percentage of cultural domestic workers shifted from largely English-speaking Caribbean women to a mostly Filipino domestic worker community? The essay will look at a historical look at domestic work, specifically live-in child care; programs and policies provided by Canada with a look at systemic inequality embedded within the states legislation; how these policies have changed and evolved today; possibilities on the cultural shift of domestic workers; and lastly, how these workers are seeking equality. The paper will focus on the shift from dominant English-speaking domestic workers to Filipino workers and Canada’s relation to this drastic shift."

About Me

I'm a daytime client care specialist for a bank and in the evening, I get my fingers inked up and glued together. I'm a mommy to a 5 year old boy and the wife to a handsome marine. So with a busy and stressful life, I need to find some time to create. =)